Zephaniah 1:7-8
Context1:7 Be silent before the Lord God, 1
for the Lord’s day of judgment 2 is almost here. 3
The Lord has prepared a sacrificial meal; 4
he has ritually purified 5 his guests.
1:8 “On the day of the Lord’s sacrificial meal,
I will punish the princes 6 and the king’s sons,
and all who wear foreign styles of clothing. 7
1 tn Heb “Lord
2 tn Heb “the day of the
sn The origin of the concept of “the day of the
3 tn Or “near.”
4 tn Heb “a sacrifice.” This same word also occurs in the following verse.
sn Because a sacrificial meal presupposes the slaughter of animals, it is used here as a metaphor of the bloody judgment to come.
5 tn Or “consecrated” (ASV, NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV).
6 tn Or “officials” (NRSV, TEV); NLT “leaders.”
7 sn The very dress of the royal court, foreign styles of clothing, revealed the degree to which Judah had assimilated foreign customs.